'It's the American Thing to Do'

Jon Melegrito contributed to this article.

Oman

No one had to call Air National Guardsman — and AFSCME member — Anthony Leggiero and ask him to support the United States in its war in the Middle East against terrorism. He volunteered.

Leggiero could have been content with his good union job and remained stateside to enjoy the comforts of home in Amsterdam, N.Y. But images from Sept. 11 haunted him. What bothered Leggiero most was seeing pictures of hundreds of people waving white cloths from their office windows at the top of the World Trade Center as it burned, "hoping and praying to God," he says, "that someone would come to their rescue." When almost nobody did — or could — some of them jumped to their death.

Union background

When he's not serving his country, Leggiero is serving the members of Local 1614 (Council 66) in his role as the president. He started his union career in 1987 as a seasonal employee with the City of Amsterdam and became full time in 1988.

In 1991, Leggiero entered the active-duty Air Force. Discharged three years later, he returned home to work in the Department of Public Works, where he's now a sewer maintenance worker. Since 1995, he's advanced through the union ranks as a recording secretary and vice president for Local 1614 before becoming its president.

But he missed the military and, in 1998, re-enlisted in the New York Air National Guard part time. He's assigned as a technician to the 139th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Stratton Air Guard Base in Scotia, the home of the 109th Airlift Wing.

Medic on the 'fly'

Leggiero describes his Air Force job as a "flying medic." Since October, he's been tending to injured and ill patients while they're being transported by military aircraft to medical facilities. He spent three months in Bahrain and is now working in Oman — shown here obtaining an autograph from Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

"The most difficult part of my job is having to stop and say to myself, 'Hey, Tony, this is the real deal. So put on your war face, and let's get down to business. We know what we are in for when we arrive to get our patients. We just don't know how our arrival will be taken by not-so-friendly 'others.'"

Nevertheless, "My presence on that aircraft — heading into parts unknown — to transport a patient to a more comfortable medical facility makes me feel proud of what I am doing. I become a lifeline for that person."

Wearing two hats

Thanks to e-mail, Leggiero is able to conduct union business from abroad. For him to remain focused on such a challenging mission overseas, yet muster up the time to ensure his members are taken care of in his absence, testifies to his commitment to public service.

"That's what it's all about," he says. "Right now I consider myself serving millions, not just the municipality that I live in.

"Without freedom and those to protect, dignify and preserve it, we would not have unions today. The bottom line is: I do what I do because it's the American thing to do."